Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men, second to lung cancer. As many as one in six men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lives and many of the them will not show any warning signs.
Prostate cancer is often slow growing, usually occurs late in life, and often has no symptoms until the disease is well advanced.
The American Cancer Society estimates that during 2004 about 230,110 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States.
- What is Prostrate Cancer?
- Risk Factors
- Common Symptoms/Screening Tests
- Treatment Options
- Further Reading on Prostate Cancer
What is Prostrate Cancer?
Prostate cancer is an abnormal, uncontrolled growth of cells that results in the formation of a tumor in the prostate. The cancer may also spread into other parts of the body (metastasize), such as the lymph nodes, bones, and other organs. Although prostate cancer is very common, most men never know they have it. Prostate cancer is often slow growing, usually occurs late in life, and often has no symptoms until the disease is well advanced.
A simple blood test can save your life. Prostate cancer is most common in men over age 65 to 70 and is rare (but does occur) before age 50.
Learn more about the disease of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer overview
Prostate cancer symptoms - NOTE: Many of these symptoms can mimic those of an enlarged prostate - a benign condition.
Exams and tests
Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA)
Treatment overview
Surgery
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Risk Factors
What about the risk factors? Just who's at risk?
- Men ages 65 or older. Eighty percent of the men diagnosed with prostate cancer are over age 65
- Family history (having a male relative who had prostate cancer)
- In the United States, African Americans have higher rates of cancer than African Americans in other countries
Reducing your risk
Even though there is no known way to prevent the disease, here are some things you can do that may reduce your risk of developing prostate cancer:
- Eat a low-fat, high-fiber diet
- Take vitamin E everyday. There is some evidence that taking extra vitamin E may reduce your chances of developing prostate cancer. The daily recommended dose is 800 IU
- Eat vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, and foods that contain tomato or tomato sauce
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Common Symptoms/Screening Tests
If detected by a blood test, prostate cancer rarely has any significant symptoms. Most problems that occur with the prostate are due to benign processes such as infections or hypertrophy, unless the cancer is far advanced. However, some symptoms of prostate cancer may include:
- Difficulty starting the urine stream
- Inability to urinate
- Decreased strength of the urine stream
- Waking at night to urinate
- Frequent urination
- Painful or burning urination
- Feeling that the bladder is not completely empty
- Blood in urine
Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) — PSA is a blood test. Men with enlarged prostate glands, prostate infections (prostatitis), or prostate cancers have higher amounts of PSA in their blood than men who do not have any of these conditions. However, the PSA test alone cannot be used to diagnose prostate cancer.
Digital Rectal Exam (DRE) — A DRE checks for abnormalities of organs or other structures in the pelvic and lower abdominal area. This exam checks the prostate gland in men. This is done for men as part of a complete physical exam.
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Treatment Options
Need help deciding about treatment?
- Watch our online video, in which our doctors and nurses discuss prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment options in great detail.
View our prostate cancer educational videos - For localized prostate cancer, that has not spread, there are several treatment options.
Things to think about - Winning the battle against prostate cancer - Stan's story
Read Stan's story
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Further Reading on Prostate Cancer
Healthwise Knowledgebase articles on prostate cancer
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